The latest cattle inventory in Canada was on July 1 and it was estimated at 13.005 million head. This is a 2.1% lower than 2014. Considering that in January 1 the inventories were also down (2.5% from the previous year) this was not a surprise, but a confirmation of a real challenge.

“The decline in Canadian inventories comes at a time when the cattle cycle in the US has turned a corner. So far, it has been particularly difficult for Canadian producers to rebuild the herd for a number of reasons. Sharply higher cattle prices in North America and a strong US currency have limited US beef exports into Canada and have encouraged Canadian producers to ship more feeder cattle and breeding animals to the US.”

This report remarks the opportunities linked to Halal trends. Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates (UAE) have high expatriate populations that are influencing the local food culture.

“In terms of market access progress, in 2014 Canada was granted full beef access to Qatar, full beef and cattle access in the UAE, all beef in Bahrain and boneless beef (under thirty months) in Saudi Arabia”.

— Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, September 2015.

Keeping in mind that the UAE will be hosting Expo 2020 and Qatar will be hosting the World Cup of 2022, Canada should start preparing itself to make front to the tremendous market opportunities for the halal meat market.

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